Kasrkin: Guardians of Humanity
by bokka501
Summary: The Kasrkin were the imperium's finest, men and women standing shoulder to shoulder against the never-ending tide of humanities enemies. Proud martial traditions stretching all the way back to a time prior to the great betrayal. During the heady days of the dark age of technology they stood firm as the Systems Alliance's premier soldiers, no less feared then as now.
1. Chapter 1

These characters, themes and plots are in no way my property and belong only to the affiliated companies which produced Mass Effect (bio ware) and Warhammer 40K (games Workshop).

* * *

A/N/2- OK in response to requests for longer chapters I'm going through and lengthening all the chapters. Unfortunately I am somewhat restricted by existing chapters and my upcoming Exams, but this is a good way to de-stress so i'll keep plugging away at it.

* * *

The Kasrkin were the imperium's finest, men and women standing shoulder to shoulder against the never-ending tide of humanities enemies. Proud martial traditions stretching all the way back to a time prior to the great betrayal. During the heady days of the dark age of technology they stood firm as the systems alliance premier soldiers, no less feared then as now. This is their story; this is the story of a people who have safeguarded humanities future since their founding.

* * *

**_2000CE_**_: A counter culture movement begins in Australia, emphasising discipline and unity of purpose, it is dismissed as nothing but a fad by general populace but its members begin to experience a great deal of success in their ventures, particularly over the long term._

**_2020CE_**_: Worried about the increasingly lax moral standards of society the movement migrates into sealed compounds that they term kasr's, making themselves the family of the kasr's. Literally Kasrkin. The move separates the Kasrkin from the general population and they begin the process towards becoming a faceless movement I t he eyes of the general public. The actions of one are viewed as the action of all. Several myths spring up about the Kasrkin detailing their lack of Humanity and barbaric practices._

**_2030CE_**_: As the global situation deteriorates the Kasrkin have begun making a name for themselves as their personal discipline in an increasingly hedonistic world grants them success in most of their ventures. Among the upper classes people are beginning to notice the wealth that the Kasrkin and are becoming increasingly jealous that such resources are denied to them, Several key marketing campaigns are initiated by industrialists in order to open up the restricted and tightly regulated markets of the Kasrs. These efforts are ultimately defied and resentment against the kasr's intensifies among the wealthy._

**_2035CE_**_: The wants of the people have begun to exceed the markets ability to supply and the global situation begins to deteriorate as resources begin to run out, jealousy of the Kasrkin and their success becomes increasingly prevalent among the middle and lower class. Seizing on this opportunity the upper classes begin pressure on the Kasrkin to open their vaults and "share" with everyone else, as they have no right to deny anyone access to that which is necessary to survive. This triggers an increasing shift in Kasrkin culture towards militaristic ideals in an effort to protect themselves. However the host societies interpret this as a threat and sanction are passed limiting their rights, and in some cases completely removing them. The Kasrkin convene with their kin across the globe seeking a consensus on a solution. Anti-Kasrkin riots are becoming increasingly common, several Kasrs and stormed and many are injured, several children were killed._

**_2036CE_**_: In response the increasing violence, the Kasrkin launch a rapid and vicious coup of Australia executing any and all who resist them the Kasrkin leave a trail of devastation on their road to power. Seizing control of Australia in a matter of days, the world reels in at eh devastation as experts begin to realise that the violence against the Kasrkin initiated a complete metamorphosis of their culture. From peaceful conservative seeking a home suiting their ideals, to a disciplined and fanatical militaristic culture determined to survive and certain that the world is against them. Kasrkin flood to their new home from around the world triggering and economic and cultural boom as the nation is revolutionised from the demographic shift. As one of the few resource rich nations left in the world, and controlling a large portion of the worlds uranium and high-grade iron ore the Kasrkin begin an economic campaign to finance a massive arms build up. With an emphasis on rapid deployment troops and equipment the military forces of Australia suddenly became a major threat to their neighbours. The Kasrkin have seen the success of military actions and view them as a vital part of policy, a drastic in shift in public funding is authorised around the globe in an attempt to match the Kasrkin arms build up further straining the world economy. _

**_2037:_**_ The Kasrkin are feeling the strain of the increasing urbanisation as people flock to the cities for jobs and welfare. Making a drastic decision the Kasrkin forcibly resettle "ordinary"(non-Kasrkin) citizens to the rural regions and major resource projects in an attempt to support their growing population and economy. As a side effect the dispersal of opposition groups and separation of Kasrkin sees hatred of Kasrkin begin to die down, replaced wariness and mistrust. _

**_2040CE_**_- World war 3 ignites, rather than wait to be attacked, the Kasrkin launch a vicious assault into SE Asia, seeking to disable their regional enemies before they can do any damage to the homeland. China and the US clash over strategic Japan, and resource rich Russia, which has been slowly collapsing from a series of incompetent governments. The EU contends with the desperate hordes from Africa who flood north seeking a new future and a share of Europe's success, overwhelmed by their sheer numbers the EU folds rapidly in the face of their advance. The Public view of the Kasrkin begins to change, as the Kasrkin society demands that they protect what is theirs, in effect protecting the people of Australia. This causes a further shift in public opinion and people begin to respect the Kasrkin's prowess at war and their willingness to die for them and their cause._

**_2044CE_**_- The war finally ends with the Kasrkin having maintained an alliance of necessity with the USA. Caused by fear of suffering the fate of the Chinese, the American air superiority hammering the Chinese into the ground, and the Kasrkin air forces were no match for the advanced jets of the USA. But holding much of SE Asia. A system in which the Kasrs are supported by many surrounding civilian villages is formalised, allowing the Kasrkin to focus on the defence and governance of their territories._

**_2050CE_**_- The Kasrkin are the single most feared force on the planet, not for their technology, with which the advantage rests solely with the newly formed Northern Alliance of the EU remnants, Canada and the USA, but their casual brutality, ferocity during the war and unflinching discipline in the face of impossible odds makes any campaign against them too costly and uneconomical. They have demonstrated an unflinching loyalty to those they view as under their protection and have slaughtered any and all they consider a threat to them._

**_2051CE_**_: Under economic, social and military pressure from the technologically and economically superior Northern Alliance the Kasrkin begin considering unification, they are well aware that the Northern Alliances ability to secure air dominance would spell enormous casualties for them. The only possible hopes for victory would rest with ICBMs, but the Northern Alliance has very sophisticated missile shield systems, or special operations to disable either the air force or missile shield. Unwilling to start a war in which victory is uncertain the Kasrkin compile a list of concessions that they want in exchange for unifying with the Northern Alliance._

**_2053CE:_**_ The Northern Alliance and the Kasrkin federation unify, in exchange for the continuation for Kasr system and their own regiments the Kasrkin are peacefully annexed into the Northern Alliance. The Northern Alliance is understandably ecstatic, they have gained the best infantry and rapid insertion troops in the world for the price of special formations and an advisor the president. Unfortunately social prejudice against the Kasrkin still exists among the Northern Alliance peoples and many blame their arms build up for starting the third world war. The Kasrkin remain silent and perform their duties, as is their new role._

* * *

Relay 314

2157CE

The relay above Shanxi began to gyrate as the ships of humanity approached, the agitated element zero preparing to catapult the human ships near instantaneously across the distance separating it from its partner relay in citadel space. Unfortunately for the humans they had no clue of the hell they were about to unleash upon Shanxi as punishment for their recklessness, at least in the eyes of the coming enemy.

Three exploration corvettes, barely a 100m long, lightly armed with ultraviolet laser defences, 20 Thor class missiles and a single electro-magnetic wave projector mounted on the front. The primary armament being the Thor class missiles, conventional munitions laced with accelerant to make them more suitable for vacuum combat. The primary effect of these explosives wasn't the detonation, which had an extremely limited radius, but the radiation the accelerant produced. The side effect being that if they did encounter an enemy then their ships would be empty and easily boarded. Hopefully allowing for technological acquisition and reverse engineering.

The relay flashed and they were through. "All stations report!"

"Weapons green"

"Arm them, just in case."

"Engines green."

"Dump static and excess heat and prepare for relay transition just in case."

Vents opened along the ship, heat and static energy released in a torrent of writhing enemy, lighting up the void enclosing them.

"Sensors are online sir, we're green, no hostiles detected."

"Keep looking."

A noticeable tension began to seep onto the bridge, that gut feeling that defied logic, but had saved an uncountable number of lives.

"FleetCom online sir, all ships are green, the _Corinth_ is seeking permission to go dark."

"Granted."

On the left of the _Athens _the _Corinth_ engaged stealth systems and slunk towards the relay, in the event of an emergency it was to fetch aid, seeing as it was lacking the equipment to do much else. In the mean time it would act as a data storage device, just in case.

Seconds passed, the bridge was quiet, tension built. A blue flash, just a twinkle there in the distance.

"Contacts, 500,000 kilometres and closing"

"Arm weapons but maintain locks"

First contact protocol stated that the ships should be on alert, with weapons secured. Under no circumstances were humans to fire unless fired upon.

"Contacts closing fast!"

"Hail them, and get me threat report ASAP, package all telemetry and prepare for microburst to the _Corinth_. Under no circumstances is the Corinth's stealth to be breached."

"Not responding to hails sir" an edge of panic began creeping into the officer's voice,

"Try again"

"Threat report sir, 10 contacts, 5 corvettes, 3 frigates and 2 cruisers. Estimate threat at…SIR! They're firing on us!"

The enemy ships lit up, steaks of blue flashing from their bows, missiles pouring from firing tubes. Impacting on the _Thebes_ the ship simply ceased to exist. The _Athena_ had fared better in the hands of her pilot who had the presence of mind to plot evasive manoeuvres without being asked.

"Fire all Thor missiles at the enemy, launch micro-burst data package for the _Corinth. _We have hostile first contact, command needs to know."

"Yes sir"

The ship gave a shuddering lurch as the enemy fire impacted. Then the ship exploded. In its final seconds a data packet streaked along cyberspace to an empty point next to the relay. Gathering the data the _Corinth_ turned and fled the system through the mass relay, along with all the Intel on these new enemies.

* * *

Sergeant Jake Mitchell was a member of the Kasrkin 5th and damn proud of it. No way in hell were these bloody spike faces gonna harm his charges. They had come through the relay attacked without provocation and were now slaughtering the civilians and soldiers indiscriminately. These were his citizens, and he and the rest of his regiment were going to keep them alive, no matter the cost. This was the creed of the Kasrkin and had been for over a century, kill the enemy, every last man woman and child, but protect you own, always protect your own. This was the creed that allowed them to storm the fortified moons of Jupiter, crush the Venus insurrections and slaughter the Scions Of Destruction on Mars, through out the domain of Humanity the Kasrkin was revered as the perfect soldier. Without mercy, without regret and without fear. He had been given an objective and it would be completed, for a Kasrkin there was no other option, it wouldn't be pretty but it would be done.

"All units, maintain ambush positions,"

The Turian column advanced down the central road, keeping what they assumed was a sharp eye out for enemies, never suspecting the hell that was about to descend on them. They had woken the rage that had fuelled humanity since its dawn, and in their fury humanity had unleashed their erstwhile guardians, the Kasrkin were here and there would be no mercy for the enemies of humanity.

"Prepare to blitz, lets kill every last one of these damn bastards. These are our People "

* * *

A/N- this is my first fanfic and my first time writing for quite some time. If you have any ideas please let me know. And if you want to use the idea, feel free, I'd rather see it done justice. Just don't expect me to stop trying. Any comments/constructive criticism welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Review responses

**Forget the Rest-** Thanks for the heads up, I think I'll take a bit of artistic liberty with that fact. If it makes you feel better, there is 30 odd millennium, between now and their impending extinction. Lets suppose that 40K Kasrkin were intended to replace them and imitated their culture.

**Jouaint-** Probably not, I'll see how it goes. Though a position as the illusive man might work. Minus the death, or maybe he seizes control of Cerberus during the clean-up of the Reapers, Cerberus has been shown to have extensive knowledge of genetic and cybernetic enhancement

**Garm88-** I like your thinking, I'll se how we go, thought the particle beams of the Protheans were interesting as well. Since light consists of particles and waves it may be possible to combine Mass Effect technology with lasers. The downside of lasers being light can be refracted, particularly by bad weather such as rain or snow. Let me do some more research, the accelerators may be able to counter this. I am however very hopeful for the possibility of radiation based weaponry. The US government does currently have what basically amounts to a microwave gun (active denial system) that boils the water in your body causing excruciating pain. Given the time lapse that could be applied to ships.

* * *

Dodge left, sprint forward, aim, squeeze _hsss…. crack._ 1 dead. The adrenaline is pumping, a red spray to the right, Chex is down. _Hsss…Crack. _ 2 dead, duck the fist, his hips are thin, a hard blow shatters them and a boot to the face knocks him out. Pivot, aim. _Hssssssss…Crack._ 4 dead, took too long to shoot, chest is cold, red on my armour. Feeling weird, vision is darkening, a damn alien face. Just one more, just one more to honour the dead.

* * *

Looking at these strange Asari like aliens was odd, they fought like Krogan, yet looked like Asari an odd contradiction and not one he liked, this one in particular was impressive. 4 of his men in close range, his squad accounted for most of his platoon. The alien at his foot twitched, he moved closer, the alien's gun swung violently. _Hs…Crack._

* * *

Screams of the dead and dying rent the air, the growl of enormous war machines reverberated through the chests of soldiers, and the booming of orders over the battle net dominated the consciousness of the Kasrkin. This is what they were raised from birth to do, this was their purpose and their privilege. This was home.

* * *

The enemy was being slaughtered, they seemingly had no concept of taking cover, preferring what essentially amounted to spray and pray tactics, totally dependant on their kinetic barriers, a fatal weakness that Kasrkin had exploited in every war since the Mars discovery.

The key to this was the electro-laser weaponry common to the Alliance, laser weaponry still was unreliable in uncontrolled environments so the alliance had turned to electro-lasers. The powerful ionised blasts guided to their targets by low powered sighting lasers, but their two stage firing system left the Kasrkin vulnerably exposed and the Turians fire discipline was taking its toll on their exposed troopers. The casualties were mounting for both sides, and at this rate they were going to run out of me before the enemy, It was time to go on the offensive.

"Command confirms, we have permission to blitz, full spectrum warfare authorised, no mercy no retreat."

* * *

They rose, like the devils of old Turian mythology, rising from the rubble and charging down the their forces, killing with ruthless efficiency. Kinetic barriers were useless against their strange weaponry . Silent is their actions, recessed eye visors black against their tan helmets, hiding their intentions and all the more horrifying for it. _Hsss, _what was that? _Crack_, a bolt of what could only be described as lightning, blasted out of the gun. Bypassing the kinetic barriers of their commander, he fell, the utter silence of the moment adding a morbid feeling. Then more of his unit fell to the terrifying aliens, he fired, it achieved nothing their heavy armour and kinetic barriers shrugging it off. Then they were among his unit, bayonets crackling with electricity punching through his armour, the last thing he saw was the boot of the enemy crushing his face. Then it was Dark.

* * *

Advancing down the plaza came the armour of the Kasrkin, and the planetary militia. Fear inducing electromagnetic signals being broadcast, augmenting the already ominous sight. A Turian armoured patrol came into range, the rubble between them and the hidden predators meant little. A deep thrum issued forth and invisible to the naked eye a wave of death crashed into the Turian armoured column, it died. This was a scene repeated over the battlefield as the Kasrkind unleashed to full strength of their firepower upon the enemy, a versatile and brutal doctrine brought to life. A glimpse of the war to come.

* * *

**Laser-** a beam of tightly concentrated light, imbued with significant thermal energy. Currently unreliable in atmosphere, but versatile in space. However they are still limited by diffraction, or 'blooming' once fired. That is that the light spreads out once it has been fired reducing effective range. Due to this the Systems alliance has a preference for electro magnetic weaponry.

E**lectro-laser**- due to the unreliability of the laser technology the Systems alliance adopted electro lasers as a sort of halfway deal. Firing in two phases, an Ionic charge sent out in the direction of the target, the second being a when the current ionises the surrounding gases creating in essence a miniature lightning bolt between the weapon and the target. While not as efficient as lasers, these weapons compensate through their reliability and utility. Unfortunately the slow rate of fire has forced the Kasrkin to develop a unique combat doctrine, referred to as shock tactics, or blitzing.

**Shock tactics-** Shock tactics espouse precision combined with mobility, taking advantage of the sheer power of the alliance electro-laser weapons, and compensating for their slow rate of fire. This is achieved through group manoeuvres and close range combat in which the Kasrkin can kill with impunity, killing as many as possible before they can respond.

A/N- anyone concerned about the differences between canon mass effect tech and mine should just pause for a second. Assume you have a section of you civilisation wholly dedicated to war, and improving your ability to wage it. The first thing they are going to do upon discovering a threat (Protheans) is find a way neutralise it. So rather that inherit the weaknesses of the mass effect, they exploited them and utilised that which they found useful (mass relays and kinetic barriers) while finding ways to destroy the threat (DEW's). In terms of human superiority on the ground, think of it this way, humanity has and exceptionally violent past and a lot of quality doctrine for ground combat. In comparison they are relatively weak in space, as all the fancy guns in the world do no good if you can't use them properly. But humanity won't be helpless in space. Just not omnipotent.

A/N/2- full re-write pending on this chapter, just want to advance the stroy a bit and re-write some later chapters first.


	3. Chapter 3

Kasrkin 3

A/N- I tried to boost the length of this chapter compared to the others, as well as highlighting the weakness of a humanity that is dependent on the Kasrkin's ability and reputation, tending to destroy enemies at their bases on the ground, rather than engaging in full-scale space warfare. I though this would be a nice balancing act, with the Kasrkin proficiency at terrestrial and infantry combat humanity had to have a weakness, if only so that I have something to write about.

* * *

High above the killing fields of Shanxi the Systems alliance 3rd fleet duked it out with the disciplined and experienced Turian fleet. On paper the battle was clear-cut, Humanity had the advantage in tonnage, tech and they were fighting in one of their systems. However the Turians had two key advantages, firstly they had brought a vastly larger fleet, almost twice as many combat ships, and this allowed them to soak up whatever damage they were dealt. Not only did they have more ships but also their use was more effective. The Turians had a doctrine based on centuries of space borne conflict and their crews were experienced, in actual combat not artificial simulations and war games. The inexperienced humans had no Kasrkin equivalent for naval combat and up until now their duties had simply been to get the Kasrkin from point A to B and blow up point C from orbit. The systems Alliance had always crushed all nascent rebellion before they had shipbuilding capabilities. Now they were paying for it.

Another of those cursed human ships exploded as the Turians again exploited the Human's inept formations.

"Spirits, they truly have no clue how to fight an engagement in space," remarked the communications officer "it like shooting varren in a pit"

"You are aware of a Varren's bite right" questioned the Turian admiral Arterius, mentally he acknowledged the aptness of that metaphor, these humans had nasty teeth in the form of their energy weapons but lacked any idea as to how to use them. It was costing him to engage them, even a glancing hit was enough to destroy a ship, sometimes even killing the crew without damaging the ship. Their technology was truly formidable and when the time came he was sure that the Hierarchy would benefit from this soon to be client race and their technology. The Turians would be in the ascendancy once more, showing those dammed uppity Asari who the true power of the galaxy was.

"Set course, 350 by 30, fire mass accelerator guns and prime GARDIAN"

Another fireball, truly an apt metaphor.

* * *

In a deadly dance of death, 30 humans ships duelled with nearly 70 Turian vessels, desperately trying to close to a range where their weapons would be effective, whilst the Turians used their mass accelerators range and superior speed to their advantage. Keeping ridged formations they separated into three groups. At any one time one would be firing, one would be manoeuvring into firing position and one would be retreating. Leapfrogging ahead of the Human advance the Turians kept a constant hail of mass accelerator fire upon the

Human ships that left them devastated and their fleet in ruins.

* * *

Aboard the human Flagship _Pride of Nabaal_ admiral Isaac Williams contemplated his options. Problem was he had none, no matter what he tried the Turians simply slaughtered his ships.

_"Invictus_ manoeuvre to re-join man formation, you're escorts have been destroyed"

"I'm aware Admiral. Got any more bright ideas to get us all killed." The Captain of the _Invictus_ voiced the opinion of the fleet. It wasn't that Williams was bad admiral, in fact most of the captains liked and respected him, but every action of his had lead to more senseless deaths.

"Just one, this is Admiral Williams, form up on the flag. In order of tonnage, fighters lead."

With a feeling of increasing dread the Human fleet complied, the capital ships sheltering behind the cover provided by the smaller frigate and corvettes.

"All ships, ahead flank, use the escorts as cover and may god have mercy on our souls for this act."

Like a wounded beast the fleet accelerated to their enemies positions, burning out their damage fuel cells and smashing through the debris of their own ships, closing to range.

"This is Admiral Williams to all survivors, fire as you bear."

* * *

"Frak it, sarge, this ones a freak… _ugh_" _crunch_

The Kasrkin was thrown through a wall, a pissed off biotic switching targets and reversing gravity on the rest of his squad. _Hiss…Crack_. The look of surprise on the Alien freaks face was almost comical, in a dark morbid fashion.

"What is war like where he comes from if circus tricks like that stops the shooting, we change the gravity all the time on the orbital stations, all it achieved was to let us see over his cover. Idiot." The sergeant signalled his squad to advance, making a point to crush the dammed freaks head, bastards had no right to be so damned unnatural.

Advancing forwards the squad kept a nervous eye out, the Turians had quickly recognised the electro-lasers key weakness, the time it took to establish the ion channel, the greater the distance the longer it took to establish the channel. No channel meant no shot, so in close was where Kasrkin worked best, hard fast and dirty was their style, range was their key weakness. Unfortunately the Turians had begun deploying snipers to take advantage of this, at range the Kasrkin were exposed for far to long and made tempting targets. Still that's what artillery was for and he had every intention of making it rain steel on the next fate forsaken sniper who crossed his squad's path.

* * *

Pushing through yet another platoon of enemies the Fenrir main battle tanks fanned out, irradiating any enemies stupid enough to come into range, the radiation flash heating the liquid in their bodies causing individual cells to burst almost in the same instant, hence the name "pop" gun. Their devastating advance had characterised the mornings counter attack and had caused devastating casualties to the invaders, as was proper. The psychological effects had also been profound apparently. Through eh hadn't witnessed it, his infantry escorts had reported a number of Turians had apparently snapped and shot themselves instead facing the dreaded "pop gun", most of them had been covered in the remains of their comrades. If this was how they reacted then he was itching to use the sonic weaponry, the effect would be devastating. Then his tactical pad pinged.

_+All units, priority directive_

_Use of sonic psycho weaponry approved, field studies show 80% effectiveness against alien physiology, and standard protocol for use applies._

_Execute directive as and where necessary. +_

Thank god, he was authorised to use the "howl" that all Fenrirs were equipped with. At the correct frequency sonic vibration had the ability to induce certain emotions and induce physiological responses in living beings. The "howl of a Fenrir essentially created an aura of oppressive fear. However each activation had to be carefully timed, as only the tank crews were shielded and even then only against certain frequencies making the weapon a double-edged sword. The potential for their own forces to react was there, even then leaving them active to long would allow the enemy to become used to the feeling and overcome it. In fact this was the main reason they could use it at all as all Kasrkin were exposed to it from an early age.

"All units, Howl"

Across the battle field the speakers fitted to each Fenris and their supporting armour blared the howl of the timber wolves native to Earth. However the true damage was done the ultra low frequency broad cast along side this. While not noticeable to the human conscious it still stimulated hormone production and released the chemical responsible for fear in humans and apparently Turians as well.

* * *

For the already beleaguered Turians this was the final straw, a wave of fear rippled through their units and they broke, either surrendering or fleeing en masse. Scrambling over each other in their efforts s to escape they were mowed down in a ruthless cadences as the Kasrkin lines advanced through eh surrendered Turian forces. The Fenris tanks advanced forwards, ignoring those who had surrendered in favour of those who were fleeing. Invisible shots wreaking havoc on the enemy while rocket batteries arced fragmentation explosives into the crowd. The tanks simply crushed the wounded and their infantry escort finished off those who hid.

* * *

Victus was among those who surrendered and obeyed without question as they were marshalled into an open square and forced onto their knees. Divested of his weaponry he watched hopelessly as more and more were dragged into what he increasingly suspected would be their grave. A large open square, filled with what appeared to be medical stations was just in view. Many of his comrades cried in relief but he noticed something suspicious, where were the enemy wounded? Surely they would not set up a station for an enemy they knew nothing about. His eyes widened, knew nothing about! It wasn't a medical station. It was a lab. He pivoted and was met by the sight of his enemy's gun.

"please, mercy, please"

Unfortunately this was the Kasrkin he was fighting and their reputation for brutality was well earned and more than deserved.

* * *

Across the square more than thirty rifles were lifted and aimed at just over two hundred unarmed Turian prisoners. _Hiss…Crack,_ never leave a threat behind your lines_ hiss…Crack, _never underestimate the unknown_ hiss…Crack_ never show mercy, for it will not be returned. These were the words Kasrkin lived and died by, this was their nature, their Creed and their duty.

The Turians were slaughtered where they stood across the battlefields and the Kasrkin simply moved on.

* * *

For Admiral Williams things had gone for horrible to indescribable, he had less than ten ships left against the enemies forty and the enemies ships were well out of his range. He had resorted to hiding in the ruins of his fleet and launching his remaining missiles out through the gaps, nothing more than a delaying action.

"Sir sensors are picking up a FTL exit signature on the edge of the system, it's the 4th fleets sir"

"Transmit all sensor data and successful tactics to them,"

"it'll give away our position sir."

"I hardly think it matters at this point lieutenant,"

"aye aye sir"

"open a link to the Planetary Command"

"opened sir"

"This is admiral Williams to the Planetary command and any units left, If you have anything left to give now is the time to give it, the 4th fleet has arrived"

* * *

Admiral Arterius was a good Turian, disciplined, obedient and ruthless. He had cultivated these same qualities in his younger brother and expected Saren to bring much glory to his family. He was not however stupid, and knew that despite the successes of his fleet against the enemy, he was in trouble. His fleet had been decimated, and now was outnumbered. So he made the call all Turians dread.

"All ships retreat through the relay"

"What about the ground forces sir"

"You've seen the same footage I have, I doubt there are any left"

The Turians turned and fled before the 4th fleet, leaving nearly 80% of their fleet in ruins and the entirety of their ground forces to the apparently non-existent mercy of these _humans_.

"There will be a reckoning"

* * *

**Pop/ gun- **This weapon system is based on the Active Denial System currently in development with the US army. I simply made the effects faster. Essentially any and all liquid in your body is converted into gasses, expanding rapidly, essentially popping you like a balloon. If fired for long enough at a high enough setting it could also melt the armour of vehicles, however this feature is redundant and unnecessary against most foes as the crew will most likely die prior to this point. The primary weakness of this weapon system is friendly fire a major danger with any weapon powerful enough.

**Electro-laser-**The inherent weakness of this technology is the time it takes for the laser guided ion channel to connect, and until it does the charge cannot be released. The trooper firing the gun is exposed until the ion channel connects. This leaves him open and is the reason close range is favoured. Another advantage is the ability of the channel to 'bend' once established allowing for easier tracking of enemies, this is due to the electrostatic attraction between ions being loose allowing for movement. This makes it quite difficult to miss at close range.

A/N- well hopefully that's a bit longer than previously, now I have three questions, ill take the advice under consideration, as I have to be able to write it.

1) Should human space combat go the way of the Imperium, with vast lumbering battleship, laser cannons and incredible armour. Or should I have humanity continue to exploit the electromagnetic and plasma weaponry at their disposal, mitigating its inherent weaknesses with speed and agility.

2) Should I have humanity become isolationist because of this war hoarding their power and tech jealously, or is the citadel an option.

3) Are space or land battles more interesting, it'll take a bit to get used to but I think my battle writing is getting better, any advice would be nice.


	4. Chapter 4

Review responses

**Warmaster Tzeentch**- I agree totally, after all the point of a space battle is to secure an objective, usually a planet. One you're there all fancy dodging achieves is allows gaps in your formation and take you away from the objective. A slow implacable navy allow for advances to be uniform and defense absolute. The compromise is hit and run tactics of the enemy will cause damage in transit.

**mr I hate znt nobles kill em**- I think that I might use interaction of electric fields to allow humanity to form co-operative shielding. This would also justify the slow nature of human ships as these shields would be incredibly powerful making mass effect weaponry ineffective. And what does the "znt" mean?

**Garm88**- Psykers don't develop till much later in human history. Lasers are limited by the dispersion of light, don't worry I'm working on it. Personally I'm going to leverage the fact that humanity hasn't signed the citadel accords in combination with the Kasrkin ruthlessness. After all what good are puny primitive light shows against a million tonne asteroid sent at your planet. I'm actually planning on making this standard doctrine. Blow defence to hell from orbit, then land on the rubble.

**Lost Guy**- wouldn't it be ironic if the emperor was Australian. As I recall the jury is out on whether it's the San (bushmen) of South Africa or the Australian Aborigines that are the oldest race of humanity. So that might be one way, in terms of the Kasrkin, nations ceased to matter a long time ago. And despite being an Aussie, I have no clue how and not desire to, write that dammed stereotypical accent. So Queens English all the way here.

**Tel Janin Aman**- I agree with the losses of joining the citadel, though there might be advances in the mass effect tech. But then I realized I had the Kasrkin tool all their science to make the mass effect obsolete. All humans use it for is FTL and the relays. And like I mentioned above it would involve signing the citadel accords which goes against what I'm planning for humanity. Thanks for the advice on space battles.

* * *

He stirred, returning from his meditation, eyes glancing from monitor to monitor. His choices were many, but his options were few, as it stood he had millennia of experience but little else. He had grown idle, lulled by humanities successes and trusting the ferocity of the Kasrkin. They had not failed him, but they had not succeeded either. He needed resources and a cause, a banner for humanity to flock to. For the first time in ages he contemplated direct action, not since the age of Rome had he interfered, content to let his race develop, he had fought. But never ruled, never influenced and never commanded. That time appeared to be over, it was time for it all to change, time for the prodigious might that was the human war machine to wake. It would take decades, but humanity would be strong, all that remained was a banner. A symbol for humanity to flock to, a flash in the corner, his shield from Troy, its symbol igniting a thought process. Yes a Cerberus would do well, the military, scientific and economic might of humanity with a body to support it, Cerberus would be the name, humanities many headed guard. It was time for humanities immortal protector to act, humanity would not fail, and we will not fade.

* * *

The council was in an uproar on a scale not seen since the Geth uprising. The might of the Turians forced back, this was an unprecedented event and dangerously reminiscent of first contact with the Rachni.

"I propose that we send a diplomatic team through the relay, peaceful relations with this race will benefit all in citadel space, and the Turians have lost nothing that can't be forgiven," Councillor Tevos stated breezily, completely ignoring the realities of the situation presented to her. The slaughter on prisoners and the destruction of nearly an entire Turian fleet "reparations will be made of course but it was nothing but a minor incident,"

"They slaughtered Turian prisoners, employed never before seen technology, and killed our crews without damaging the ships." Roared the Turian councillor " the Hierarchy will not let this go un-avenged, we will crush them, these savages will bleed,"

"Interesting their technology is, superior to ours, an advantage for them," the hyper speech of the Salarian councillor seeming out of place in the aggression charged meeting.

"yes yes Valern, and while I'm sure there is pain on both sides as our esteemed Salarian colleague pointed out, they have technology we have never seen before and that in of itself is well worth the cost of accepting them." Tevos aired

"There will be…"

"There will be NOTHING done without my consent Turian. You forget your place, it was the Asari who found the citadel and together with the Salarians founded the council. We led an era of peace and prosperity before the Rachni. It was us who uplifted and armed the Krogan and it was us who developed the genophage. You merely deployed it, your species always has and always will be a vessel for the councils will." Raged Tevos, the Salarian councillor looking more and more uncomfortable as it wen on. " Learn your place councillor, and that of your people. You have a vote but you are one of three, any attempt for revenge will result in sanctions, am I clear?"

Valern paled, the vast fleet of the Hierarchy strained their economy, any sanctions would be ruinous. As always economic realities precluded any political or social movements, in this case revenge.

* * *

The Conclave of humanity, made up of a representative of all the worlds, a Kasrkin representative, the grand admiral, the head of the scientific advancement, the chief justice and the elected president of the Alliance prepared for their decision.

"It is clear that while we performed well on the ground, our weaponries vulnerabilities easily exploitable by the enemy in future engagements." The Kasrkin representative worried.

"True, but we have allocated additional funding to the military sciences division to compensate for this." The president reminded him, " What do the fleets need admiral?"

"Quite frankly, I need better men, but I'm not going to get that so I'll settle for the Thunderhead contingency,"

"Better men?"

"Perhaps more experienced would be a better way of saying it, at the moment we lack experience at space combat and an effective doctrine. The Thunderhead contingency should compensate for our men's inexperience and lay the foundations of a new doctrine we're cooking up."

"But that contingency is ludicrously expensive," chided the representative for Asthos. "We need that money for planetary defences,"

"Defences only defend one world, fleets defend many," the Kasrkin reminded

"Our fleet struggled to defend one," Chimed in the representative from Shanxi.

"So give me Thunderhead, within 6 months our fleet will have quadrupled in size, and with the technology we are developing as well as the stuff we reverse engineered from the Turians it will be at least twice as advanced as well." The Admiral borderline pleaded.

"I agree, significant advances have been made, but cost restraints have mitigated them. Thunderhead will allow us to release that constraint." The scientific advisory stated, his enthusiasm barely restrained "in fact, advances in the field of Quantum…"

"As soon as you hear the 'Q' word you know its time to move on, I thought I banned it in my office," laughed the president, then his voice took on a more serious note "next, what do we do when they return?"

"The only thing we can, play for time, and hope Thunderhead is ready before they are. I'm already deploying the 6th, 15th and 38th in support so ground forces are taken care of." The Kasrkin responded "I would deploy more but we have to reinforce the other worlds as well, however the regiments deployed o Shanxi have just returned from the Janus insurrections so they're veterans and are eager to kill something either in a uniform or not human. This satisfies both needs.

"You deployed those butchers to my home" the representative of Shanxi squeaked in fear.

"They were the only unattached regiments near the 4th fleet. Besides, the Janus insurrections were fuelled by governmental corruption, and you're not corrupt are you?"

"N, n, n, no" was the stuttered response.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, and these men are hard, I doubt that even the 1st could beat them with their current mind set."

A long moment of contemplation as the President came to his decisions.

"I'm approving the Thunderhead contingency, our planetary defences are based on the same technology as our fleets, and will be useless against this enemy. Don't let me down admiral." The President turned to the Kasrkin representative. "Keep you're boys in line Mark"

"Will do Sir."

"Now, what do we do with Williams?" The president addressed the next sensitive topic. One he was not looking forward to.

* * *

A/N sorry about all the politics in this paragraph, but its setting the stage for the 'awakening' of humanity. Cerberus is going to be little different in this fic. Much less focused on indoctrination for one. Thought the biotic death camps will most likely happen, I highly doubt the emperor would let the aliens have such a significant advantage. The next chapter will see the beginning of alien human relations and the explanation of the Thunderhead contingency.

A/N/2- not many changes when edited, just a bit more depth on the regiments deployed and a few contextual changes. Also changed the contingency name to avoid copyright infringement. I really respect the author who came up with the original Cheyenne class cruiser and had forgotten where the name came from so I changed it to something more original and oddly more fitting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Jouaint- **Thanks, I'm not sure about the Eldar. The Orks could always be limited to one planet I suppose. However I prefer crossovers where only one ore two elements are brought over. It always made no sense to me, if Space Marines are brought over to the halo verse, why send Chaos for them to fight. It makes little or no difference to the overall plot and in my opinion detracts from the story. In my opinion the point is to see how 1 or 2 introduced elements changes the story. Bear in mind that this is just my personal opinion. I almost didn't add the emperor, then I realised what an awesome Illusive Man he would make. However I get the feeling that I'm going to be going more and more against my self-rule at this rate. I'm seeing more and more potential in Cerberus's troops form ME3, Nemesis snipers as Vindicare assassins, and Phantoms as the precursors to Caduli assassins. So if you have any good ideas let me know.

**Urskar-** the shipyards will be explained in this chapter, you were surprisingly close to the solution. In terms of humanity's mentality, the Kasrkin are an isolated if extremely powerful sect and they are not very xenophobic, more like highly protective. If they see a threat they deal with it, they could care less if its human or not. Modern humanity is mostly neutral towards aliens, however this does translate into a respect is earned not demanded mentality that is quite likely to rub the Citadel the wrong way. As **Tel Janin Aman**said there are no benefits to joining the citadel for humanity, at least not weaponry wise.

**Tel Janin Aman****- **yeah humanity is using mass effect FTL, I have been researching plausible faster than light travel methods for humanity, and the best I have been able to find is extra dimensional, annoyingly similar to Halo. Which I have been working very hard to avoid, despite the great concepts I find Halo style a bit to much of a clichéd solution and I have no desire to see this turn into a three way crossover. I also found a great concept in Valkyrie Rising, a Sci-Fi novel by Evan Currie that has some excellent FTL, weaponry, and general technology ideas for humanity. However pending further research humanity is still reliant on the Mass Effect system, something that I think both Cerberus and the Systems Alliance are keen to solve.

* * *

In the vast ring of planetoids colloquially referred to as the asteroid belt of the Sol system drone ships set to work, locating and marking asteroids of suitable mass, composition and vector. Following in their path came the industrial ships of the Sol System; powerful cables were attached to the asteroids and their orbits altered, sending them into a slingshot around old Sol herself. Hurdling towards the source of all life in the solar system the intense heat and gravitational forces of the sun began melting the asteroids and smelting them into dense liquid alloys of incredible strength.

The return path of the gravitational slingshot sent the molten mass straight into the powerful star forges of the Sol system, relics of an age where war engulfed humanity, the liquids were then magnetically purified and molded, the intense magnetic forces produced by the forge stations allowing for the 700 meter long 200 meter wide and 100 meter tall tall cruiser hulks to be produced in record time.

The now completed hulls were then sent hurdling towards Mars where the powerful industries of the red planet began outfitting these ships with the technology and weaponry required to carry forth the armies of mankind and wreak destruction upon their foes.

Enormous multi layer kinetic shields were built in the place of maneuverable thrusters; atmospheric capability was sacrificed in favor of more advantageous firing lines weapon platforms and dense, heavy armor.

Small cramped corridors reminiscent of a 20th century submarine replaced the great sweeping corridors of previous generations and the Xeno's forces in order to squeeze the enormous generators required to fuel these improvements. There was even talk of instating a maximum height on the vessels so as the lower the ceiling and freeing up more space, but this was scrapped in favor of a larger recruitment pool.

The electro-magnetic weaponry was oversized and vast heat sinks were installed to compensate for this, further reducing space on the already cramped ship.

To compensate for this of short ranged attack 200 Jupiter class ship killers were added. Relying on sheer kinetic energy for the initial damage the missile sacrificed its warhead for advanced evasion and targeting computers, as well as an EM pulse weapon as a parting gift. Highly accurate and maneuverable the missile was designed to be very deadly and extremely accurate over long ranges.

However all of this was just the side to the vessels nuclear main courses. The Ship could hold up to 100 Vulcan class nuclear fusion missiles. The Vulcan class had a range of 2 AU's could accelerate to 0.1 the speed of light and split into over 50 sub munitions prior to impact, each having a 5 megaton payload. This was a weapon made to devastate fleets, not single ships.

A single mass driver ran the length of the ship, granting increased combat range, this driver however was designed to fire specialized projectiles at speeds close to a 0.2 the speed of light, a far greater kinetic energy payload augmented by the nuclear nature of these munitions. These munitions consisted of a canister with two nuclear masses inside. The impact with the target would force the two masses into each other with enormous energy resulting in a critical mass being reached and a 2-megaton nuclear explosion

Unfortunately this resulted in a far slower rate of fire with a single shot every 30 seconds as opposed to the Turians 10. However the heat sinks of the Thunderhead allowed a far greater sustained rate of fire and this would be telling.

These ships were ugly, cramped, lacked agility, and were completely devoid of finesse. In short they were perfect, every firing angle was covered, every corridor well defended and every system was redundant.

These ships were designed to destroy, nothing more and certainly nothing less, they were vast, ungainly and exceptionally powerful. They were the Thunderhead contingency cruiser, and in two months they would be ready, then the enemies of mankind would truly know war of a kind they had never faced before.

* * *

Even as the enormous star forges responsible for the creation of the Thunderhead class were warming up, human diplomatic teams were preparing for diplomatic first contact, their objective were most likely different from their alien counterparts if the data collected from the damaged Hierarchy ships was anything to go by.

According to the data they would most likely be contacted by a race of humanoids called the Asari who served as the council's diplomats and were responsible for the peaceful induction of races making first contact into the citadel space community. Worryingly they seemed to have the ability to meld with other species, extracting information from others minds, so the diplomatic team had brought along a patsy. A simple taxi driver from Illinois who's knowledge of the English language was acceptable, he had been put through a crash course of diplomatic language and was fed false information on a variety of pertinent topics, all of it painting Humanity in a good light. His previous life was then erased from his memory through a variety of brainwashing techniques. In his place now stood a cultured young man from London who had lived in society circles and had charmed his way into leading the first contact team. Military intelligence ensconced him with a team of body doubles to plan his fake talks while the real team planned a way to dispose of him quietly after the meld.

The Asari might come waltzing into the talks expecting another submissive race but they were in for quite a shock.

Unfortunately for them humanity had no intention of submitting themselves to an authority that either didn't care about, or were to incompetent to know about a fleet attempting to subjugate a new race in a blatant violation of their own first contact protocol. They needed to gain two months for the Cheyenne class to reach sufficient numbers to really be a feasible defence option, any and all time gained after that was simply a bonus.

In the meantime humanities fleets were being redeployed to Shanxi along with the most experienced and dangerous Kasrkin regiments from around the humanities domains. This would not only allow humanity to defend the choke point that was the Shanxi system, but also allow a visible expression of human strength during the negotiations.

* * *

Unlike their human counterparts the Asari diplomatic team was strategizing ways to bring negotiations to a successful close as quickly as possible, ending with the successful absorption and pacification of this dangerous yet innovative species and the return to the status quo. The technological gains from this venture would be enormous, however the potential for reprisal from the Turians was still there and had to be carefully managed.

The matriarch in command, Vraile, was coaching the younger, more nervous members of her team in the standard rhetoric.

"Remember we are peaceful envoys from a galactic power, they will respect the need for negotiation" Vraile lied through her teeth, they honestly had no idea how the humans would react, but there was no use in worrying her aides. "If it comes to it we simply turn around and outfly them, the Turians report that their engines are woefully lacking compared to ours and they have ineffective space combat doctrine so we should be fine. Besides we are doing nothing to provoke them so we should be treated with respect."

"Um, ma'am, doesn't deploying the STG to research a possible Genophage style solution count as hostile?"

"I doubt they know about the prisoners, besides that's just standard procedure."

"Somehow I don't think that they'll find that reassuring"

* * *

Around Shanxi hovered an ominous and awe inspiring sight, over 400 ships of varying sizes, the 4th, 5th and 8th fleets along with several Thunderheads fresh from the ship yards. In support were another 300 assorted orbital defence platforms and 60 planet based fighter squadrons on loan from other colonies. The logistics of moving all this equipment had been complex and had fallen through in some cases. In a rare moment of levity the 6th Kasrkin had found them selves the proud owners the dreadnought _Vengeance_ while its crew had been issued marine uniforms and thank you note from the 6th, in the captains rage several indiscretions of his crew had come to light and the Kasrkin had campaigned to keep the ship but had ultimately failed.

On the planets surface heavy gun emplacements were installed and missile silos constructed. Over 1000 type 5 Surface to Orbit defence missiles were stocked for use. With a 50 megaton fusion payload and capable of Mach 20 these weapons were not to be trifled with.

After recovering from the "devastating" loss of their dreadnought the 6th had created a series of supply depots in the open country surrounding Shanxi city and had dispersed in to the out country to harass any enemy landing force.

The 15th, "The Dead Legion" were the undisputed most brutal regiment in the Alliance, famous for their Machiavellian tactics and ethos they had begun fortifying the city itself. The regiments name had been earned in the killing fields of Mars where realizing that their technologically inferior opponents were combing their dead for their weapons had replaced the ceramics of their armour with disguised claymores and had detonated them from hiding to kill the scavengers. Filling the city with some of the most brutal traps known to man they justified it with "the Geneva conventions apply to Humans". The fact that they had suppressed the Janus uprisings just months prior with similar tactics was never mentioned, mostly out of fear.

The 38th remained on the fleet, brushing up on boarding actions and other shipboard tactics. They would be supporting the marines of the fleet and spearheading any boarding actions, the cramped quarters of the ships lending themselves nicely to the mechanics of the electro-lasers.

Overall command was given to Admiral Thomas Thornton, Williams was on earth pending charges, and he was very happy with how things were going. Particularly the new Thunderheads, they were very nice ships, a lot of firepower packed into those frames. All that he needed now was for the damned Asari to show up.

* * *

A/N- so the diplomacy starts, and the Thunderhead cruisers are being prepped for deployment, humanity is gaining a new sword and shield but has only the barest ideas of how to use them. Humanity needs combat experience to go against the council and they are lacking so I doubt that we would be so stupid. In terms of the fact that Thunderhead is a cruiser not a dreadnought or frigate I thought of the expense of the dreadnought versus the size of the frigate. The cruiser was a logical compromise. Also you don't mass-produce dreadnoughts. An unfortunate side effect of simply smelting the asteroids is that different ships will have different armour strengths. This will be compensated for by the sheer mass of the ships. Also they lack the multiple mass accelerator and GARDIAN systems of the council races, favouring radiation cannons, missiles and nuclear payloads. I also just want to clear something up, these ships will not be slow, they just can't turn. In fact they will be quite fast in terms of other races cruisers, they get from point A to point B so they can shoot at the enemy. They suck at making a detour through point C to dodge return fire, simply ploughing through it. If anyone has any other ideas for ships incorporating these traits for humanity please let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

The relay around the Shanxi system sparked, before roaring to life and ejecting a frigate of different profile to the Turian fleet that had lead the assault on Shanxi a week previously. Admiral Thomas Thornton frowned, "Sensors, identify that ship"

"Turian database confirms it as an Asari diplomatic vessel, the _Ilene_ sir."

"Comms-sound general stations, and report contact"

"Aye aye sir."

Through out the fleet and the colony below sirens sounded as men, woman and children raced to their posts or shelters.

"Roll out the red carpet and get the Kasrkin manning it. Call the diplomatic team and get me my damned patsy. Put him in his fancy clothes."

The Taxi driver from Illinois had unfortunately become universally acknowledged as "the Patsy" to the entire military force in defence of Shanxi, though admittedly not all knew the real reason. Most thought it was because he had bought his way in, not that he was an actual patsy for the Intelligence community.

"Intelligence acknowledges sir." Replied the communications officer.

"Then I'd best get dressed, captain, you have the bridge."

"Aye sir, best luck."

"Bah… Who needs luck, I got me some Kasrkin. And some poor fool Turian gave them targets"

An appreciative chuckle ran through the bridge, Kasrkin problem solving universally acknowledged as the best in the Alliance. As well as the simplest, it came down to a single concept. If it's a problem kill it, if not just aim at it so you can kill it quicker when it becomes a problem.

A few more tense minutes past as the fleet maneuvered to meet the incoming target.

"Captain, we are being hailed by the Asari ship. Text only, in Turian."

" What is it?"

"Basic first contact package, describes them in favourable light. Highlights that they are Asari not Turian."

"Respond as follows- we know, what the hell do you want?"

"Done sir… They're requesting permission to board sir."

"Granted, open the hangar and alert the admiral."

In the Hangar of the dreadnought 30 Kasrkin of the 15th, chosen for their impassive nature, faced off with 30 marines as the honour guard. Lining the red carpet they were hyper alert and constantly scanning for threats. At the end of the welcoming mat the diplomatic party, headed by the patsy, waited with the Admiral and the Kasrkin General.

As the shuttle from the Asari vessel entered the hangar the marines noticeably shifted as the diplomatic party talked among themselves. The Kasrkin remained outwardly impassive with their helmets sealed, however their squad communications were alive with chatter as they confirmed their roles in the coming operation. The jury was still out whether they were welcoming a diplomatic party or a boarding party so they were understandably tense. But they were the 15th so nobody saw anything amiss, just like how nobody but the Kasrkin General had seen the mines that the shuttle had landed on, or the anti-personal traps hidden throughout the hangar and its entrances. Amused at his men's ingenuity he didn't say anything, though he drew the line re-programming the atmospheric venting protocols.

For Vraile entering the human ship was certainly a novel, if terrifying, experience. The shuttle ride had been smooth and she had used the opportunity to go over last minute details with her team as well as inspect the Human dreadnought. Reinforced antennae like constructs protruded from the hull, and missile silos were organised in recessed ranks, and yawning before them was what was obviously the main hangar. Entering the cavernous hanger she had observed the large and very obviously armed fighter craft and wondered just how many of them were at these humans disposal. They could make any follow up assaults by the Asari very difficult, she also noted the heavy defensive emplacements obviously these humans were still using a doctrine that included boarding actions, further supporting the Turians observations of the human's engagement envelope. The most terrifying part of the whole endeavour was exiting the shuttle to the sight of the monsters that had slaughtered Turian prisoners lining the left hand side of her route to the diplomatic party. The right hand side was filled by what were presumably marines of some sort. The monsters salute simply called attention to the weaponry attached to them, and the fact that it was unobtrusively pointing in their general direction, they exuded such and aura of quiet menace that she felt compelled to stay as far away from them as possible. A quite whimper from the matrons behind her confirmed that she wasn't the only one intimidated by this subtle display.

Collecting herself she advanced imperiously down the centre of the aisle, absently wondering if the red was a threat, medical reports showed that they bled red blood. She greeted the welcoming committee, shaking the hands of the well-dressed leader, a civilian she was pleased to note. Hey greeting to the admiral and a man who's uniform indicated he was in charge of the monsters was a bit more restrained but still respectful.

Turning to the civilian leader she gestured that she would like to touch his head, and he nodded his consent. As a civilian he wouldn't have the disciplined mind of a military man and hopefully wouldn't notice if she wandered a bit during the meld. Gathering herself she projected her consciousness and her eyes went black.

"Embrace eternity"

Thornton quietly smirked; looked like the patsy had been a bit too tempting for the Asari, gesturing subtly to his men the Kasrkin surrounded them while the marines filed out. Time to unnerve the Asari a bit and get them on edge for the meeting, any advantage would be helpful. Forming up around the aliens the Kasrkin levelled their weapons and got between the rest of the diplomatic party and the Asari. No more physical contact would be permitted between humans and Asari for the foreseeable future. The matriarch stirred and withdrew her hands from the temples of the Patsy, and he was quickly hauled away by the Kasrkin, military intelligence would be interested to find out what he had given up.

"What is the meaning of this?" thundered Vraile in perfect English, "are we diplomats, or hostages?"

The Kasrkin maintained an icy silence, the menace they exuded almost palpable.

"Enough" rebuked Thornton, "Kasrkin stand down, If you'll just follow me ma'am we will see about getting you to the diplomatic chambers. Our diplomats have gone ahead to set up the conference."

"Thank you Admiral, and will these beasts be restrained," Vraile replied in a scathing tone.

"Of course not, they're Kasrkin. They're just doing their jobs, a bit to enthusiastically I'll admit but everyone is a bit jumpy after Shanxi."

"I'm sure that will all be solved after our meetings, compromise is the only way to satisfy all and both sides are willing aren't they Admiral." The last part was a bit pointed. What was so special about these Kasrkin that they were awarded such special privileges to the point of jeopardizing peace. She will find out, and these negotiations will be the perfect platform. As she was lead through the ship she observed the reactions of the crew. Upon sighting the Kasrkin, they straightened and in many cases saluted respectfully. None of the fear that should have characterized the response to what was obviously a brutal and merciless force. It both puzzled and scared her; this civilization had the potential to be worse than the Krogan.

On the human side of the circular conference table sat the diplomatic party, the Admiral and the Kasrkin commander. A scribe from each race sat dividing the two parties on either side, and the 3 Asari diplomats consisting of a Vraile and two attendant matrons sat facing the humans.

"I couldn't help but notice that the man there wears the same insignia as the soldiers guarding the doors, yet he is not armoured, why is that Admiral?"

"I am quite capable of answering for myself ma'am" A deep menacing growl issued forth from the commanders throat. "We are Kasrkin and act only when violence is necessary, we are the guardians of humanity and our wrath knows no bounds in pursuit of our tasks. I was sent by the Kasr Council to apprise you of this. A suitable moment had been lacking."

"A threat?"

"A promise. Should the negotiations go ill you would not find taking our planets so easy as their orbit. As the Turians found out we offer no mercy and expect none. We have and will fight and die to the last man to ensure the survival of the rest of mankind"

"Then we'd best hope they do not go ill" interjected the human legal aide. "Now as we have finished trading threats could we please focus on our appointed tasks?" Ma'am we would like to hear the Asari republics standing in these talks so that we may begin negotiations with some mutual understanding and avoid taboo topics for both cultures unless absolutely necessary."

"Thank you Mr Veyron, It is the opinion of the Asari republics that both sides have wronged, the Turians through illegal actions and the Humans through the wholesale slaughter of prisoners. The Asari see it as mitigating the actions of the other sides and believe that reparations are unnecessary. However goodwill gestures would go a long way to smoothing things over upon humanities entry to the Citadel Alliance."

"Ma'am it is the opinion of my government that we were wronged for breaking a law we had no idea of, and we would like to see reparations made for the damages wrought. In terms of the POW's it is the Doctrine of the Kasrkin to kill any and all enemies. However Marine and militia regiments are required to accept surrender. In light of this we see no wrong on behalf of our soldiers for following their orders."

"Mr Veyron…"

And the meeting devolved into diplomatic babble.

The room was large, and filled with people. A raised central table was filled with then 6 Theatre commanders, and the Lord Admiral. On the floor of the chamber interns and aides scurried in a tableau of organized chaos. The muted buzz that filled the room aided the atmosphere of determination that filled the room, this was the seat of the Human response the new threat. It was here that every scrap of strategic, technical, and scientific intelligence was co-ordinated.

Scrabbling for every second the diplomatic meeting could provide, HIGHCOM was going over the tactical and technical data provided by the science teams in Shanxi. It was becoming abundantly clear that they were completely out of their league. The Turians alone held numeric, tactical and technological superiority. Humanity however had two key advantages, their electro-magnetic technology and their industrial capacity. The difference showed in their styles of colonization, Humanity colonized a few heavily industrialized worlds whereas the Citadel species colonized many worlds but only industrialized a few key worlds. Citadel factories tended to be planet bound and only the largest citadel dry-docks reserved for the their dreadnoughts were in orbit. In contrast humanity favoured enormous industrial space stations where pollution was not as large a problem and space could be used more efficiently. In terms of logistics this made a huge difference, not only did Humanity have nearly double the industrial capacity of the Turians but it was more diffuse, they could afford to lose a few systems whereas the Turians would be irreparably harmed by the loss of a single industrial world. It appeared that they had been fighting slavers and berserkers for so long that they had forgotten that a conventional enemy went after your factories, fleets and armies instead of your people.

"Admiral Septimus sir, Reports from the Sol forges. The first Thunderheads are coming off the line now sir, Shakedown pending.

"How many?"

"Three sir"

Turning back the table the Admiral shook his head "Damn, we needed those ships yesterday."

"Doesn't matter if we get them, we haven't got the people to man them. If we deployed them they would be at 80% effectiveness with veteran crews and we don't have many of them." The admiral for Beta theatre worried. "The training camps aren't due to graduate qualified crew for 3 more days."

"The diplomats can buy us that at least a week." Admiral Jefferies of the 5ht fleet interjected "apparently the Asari have forgotten all about peace and are trying to change our culture to fit into the Citadel."

"Wait, what? Aren't they supposed to be some sort of master manipulators?"

"They're being subtle about it but the message is there."

"The science teams have made a breakthrough in Studying the Turians shielding technology sir, they should be able to increase each shields effectiveness by 30% overall." Lord Admiral Yamato's aide rushed to the desk to distribute the specifications

"Is that all, their shields have millennia of innovation and we can only get a measly 30% boost." Admiral Jenkins, the admiral for the Sol defence fleet questioned, a disbelieving expression

"We could get more sir but the team decided to increase their effectiveness against their laser weaponry. They also added some better defences against those pesky disruptor torpedoes of theirs."

"I can live with that, for now." The deep baritone of Yamato rolled across the room. "What really worries me is the man power issues we've hit, this isn't the marines where we have Kasrkin to pull us out of every hole we fall into. Without a trained crew our Thunder heads are useless"

"Couldn't we pull the reserves?" Septimus questioned "there is no doubt that they are experienced enough to have use."

"True but then we still have the same problems, the Thunderhead cruiser is radically more advanced to anything we've deployed before. Beside, in their age they would be exceptionally uncomfortable on those ships." Jeffries countered.

Yamato stirred, propping his chin on his hands "Perhaps a compromise then, bring back the veterans to man the older ships. Use what we have to man the Thunderheads, the first class graduates in three days. Rather than using green recruit to fill the gaps in the rest of our fleet we bring back veterans. When we come down from war footing we can replace the veterans with graduates from the Naval School."

"The reasoning is sound"

"And it covers our bases without disrupting our logistics"

"We still have the problem of not enough Thunderhead graduates"

"But it means we can send more to the acclimatisation classes without leaving our standing fleet undermanned."

"All in favour?"

The vote passed unanimously.

"Inform the President."


End file.
